The Newbies at Easton
by Meg Nik
Summary: This is a story about Sarah-Beth Justice and her siblings when they get a rude awakening from their mother. She is sending them to Easton so she can party more. Please R/R.
1. Start All Over

**A/N: I do not own the Private series. I do own the characters, however. Please R/R to let me know if ya'll like it. **

_Out of the fire and into the fire again_

_You make me want to forget_

_And start all over_

_Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse_

_Another chance to get burned_

_And start all over_

_I'm gonna start all over._

**-Miley Cyrus "Start All Over"**

"**Start All Over"**

It was a beautiful August day in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Sarah Elizabeth Justice (Sarah-Beth for short) was behind her parents' beach house sunbathing with her fourteen year old sister, Lindy Shae. _This next school year is going to be awesome_, Sarah-Beth thought to herself. She was going to be a Junior at Central Christian School in Robertsdale, Alabama, a city just inland from Gulf Shores. Sarah-Beth looked over at her younger sister, "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"Just lay here. I need a great suntan before school starts," Lindy Shae, responded.

"Sounds good to me. But you already have a suntan."

"Can't hurt can it?"

"I guess not."

The two girls heard someone running up the beach. "That's probably Jeremy on his way back from Sea and Suds." Sea and Suds was a local teen hangout about a mile up the beach from them. Sure enough Jeremy came up the sand dune.

"What are my two beautiful sisters up to today? Sunbathing again? Don't ya'll do that enough?"

Lindy Shae and Sarah-Beth look at each other and just giggle. "A girl can never sunbathe too much," Sarah-Beth said as she tossed sand in her brother's direction.

"Hey now, you're going to take out my eye."

_Meanwhile… in the house._

"Sadie, I don't know if we should send them to boarding school. They're good kids," Jackson Justice was trying to plead with his wife, to change her mind on sending his prides and joys off to Connecticut.

"I feel like they would be better off at an exclusive private school, not this rinky dink of a private school you graduated from." Sadie was getting furious with her husband. _Why doesn't he understand? I want my children to have a privileged life as adults._ Sadie was use to life of glamour and money, and then she met Jackson at Yale. She fell head-over-heels in love with him. He did not come from a super rich family. They had money but not as much as Sadie's family did.

"I just do not understand why you think my school is rinky dink. I turned out fine. I'm a successful golfer. All you do is party, party, party. And you spend money like it's going out of style."

"Someone's gotta buy stuff for this hellish house."

"Whatever. You're telling the kids. I don't want them to hate me." Jackson walked out to the front yard.

"Here goes nothing." Sadie said to herself as she walked out of the back door and went down the stairs. She could see her three beautiful children having fun in the sand. "Hey, guys. I need to talk to ya'll about something."

"What is it, mom?" Jeremy asked looking worried.

"Your father and I have decided to send ya'll to the best, most exclusive private high school in the country."

"Cool! Where is it? Here in Baldwin County?" Lindy Shae asked.

"No."

"Then, where is it?" Sarah-Beth asked thinking about how she loved this beach and wanted to go to no other school. She wanted to stay at Central Christian. All of her friends were here. Why was her mother doing this?

"Easton Academy in Easton, Connecticut."

**So what do ya'll think so far. I know it's not much, but the education department in college waits for no one… not even me . Don't forget to read and review please **


	2. So Far So Great

**A/N: I do not own the Private series. I do however own these characters. R/R.**

_So far so great, get with it_

_At least that's how I see it_

_Having a dream is just the beginning_

_So far so great, believe it_

_Can't take away this feeling_

_Taking a ride with chance to my side_

_Yeah, I can't wait_

_So far so great_

**-Demi Lovato "So Far So Great"**

"**So Far So Great"**

"I don't want to leave Alabama, Daddy, "Sarah-Beth urged her dad to let them stay in Baldwin County.

"You know how your mom is when she gets her mind set on something. I'm sorry baby." Her dad was genuinely sorry. "You leave out tonight. You're mother's refusing to go so I'm going to fly up with you three to get you settled."

"Figures. She doesn't even want to see us off. She just wants to get rid of us. Why don't you stop her daddy?" Lindy Shae complained. Being the youngest sometimes had it advantages, but the look on her dad's face said that there was nothing he could do.

"Look at it this way," Jeremy told his sisters, "Mom won't be in our hair and we can still call dad via Skype."

"Jeremy's right, girls. Let's just do this to please your mother, and I'll try to talk her out of it later." Their dad was always on their side when it came to their crazy mother and her antics.

"Let's go. We don't want to miss our flight." Jeremy finished packing the car up with his dad, as the girls got into the back seat of the Beamer.

_Easton, Connecticut_

"Wow, this campus is beautiful!" Lindy Shae shrieked with delight as they pulled up to the curb at Easton Academy.

"It is beautiful. I can't wait to get started here. Do you think they have football here?" Jeremy asked excitedly.

"I still want to go home." Sarah-Beth was being stubborn as usual and refused to give in to liking this alien school. "I liked my old school."

"I'm sure if you gave this school a chance, Sarah-Beth, you'll grow to love it." Her dad was trying to cheer her up. "Let's go get you kids settled. Jeremy, do you mind if I take the girls first and come by your dorm in a few minutes to help you finish up?"

"Sure dad, no problem." Jeremy sprinted off to Ketlar Hall.

"Come on girls. You both are in Bradwell. I managed to pull off you both being roommates to help ya'll transition better."

"Thanks, daddy!" Lindy Shae said excitedly.

Sarah-Beth rolled her eyes. _Great. Now I'm gonna have to deal with Miss Perky Pants 24/7 ahhh.._

Their dad led them to their room and helped them unpack. After everything had been unpacked, their dad said goodbye and kissed both of his little girls on the head, wishing them good luck.

Lindy Shae turned to her sister, and pointed to their desks. "Hey here's our schedules, let's check them out."

Lindy Shae's schedule was the following:

American History

French I

Geometry

Lunch

Chemistry

Honors English

Tennis

Sarah-Beth's schedule was completely different:

French II

Calculus

American Literature

Lunch

Cross Country

Anatomy

Anthropology

Sarah-Beth realizes she's going to have her hands full this year.

_Let's see what it's like tomorrow. Lovely. I can't believe Daddy left us here._

**A/N: So what do ya'll think? If you have any suggestions or questions leave a review. I'm up to anything because this story is just coming off the top of my head. Please review **


	3. Round and Round

**A/N: Thanks to xXcoolkat390Xx for reviewing. Please review because it inspires me to update faster. And if you have any ideas just let me know. Also thanks to my Beta, elleluvssev, for helping me with this story.**

_We're going round and round  
We're never gonna stop  
Going round and round  
We'll never get where  
We are going  
Round and round  
Well your gonna miss me  
Cause I'm getting dizzy  
Going round and round  
Round and round_

**-Selena Gomez "Round and Round"**

"**Round and Round"**

_Beep, Beep, Beep…_

_What is that noise?_ Sarah-Beth thought. She rolled over to see her sleeping sister across the room from her. Then it occurred to her. She was not in Alabama anymore. She was in Easton, Connecticut at the exclusive Easton Academy. _I hate mom for sending us here._ Sarah-Beth got up and killed the alarm clock. "Lindy Shae get up, it is morning."

"Ugh, what are you doing? Is it really time to get up already?" Lindy Shae looked at her sister with disgust.

"Come on. It's the first day of class. We gotta get going and catch up with Jeremy at breakfast." Sarah-Beth said throwing on a purple dress shirt with some black slacks. Looking for her Vera Wang purple stilettos, she tripped over Lindy Shae looking for her hot pink Converse sneakers.

"You're really going to wear that?"

Lindy Shae looked down at her pink t-shirt and khakis. "Yea, got a problem with it?"

"It is the first day of school. A new school at that. We have to make a good impression."

"Whatever." Lindy Shae grabbed her bag and left her sister standing in their room.

"I wish I was at home, starting a new year at my school. This sucks." Sarah-Beth grabbed her things and headed out the door.

_Later on in the cafeteria…_

"Hey, Jeremy! Wait up!" Sarah-Beth yelled to her brother. She ran towards him realizing he already had made some friends. _Great. Even Jeremy can make friends._

"Hey, little sis," Jeremy reached for his sister and pulled her into a side hug. "What's happening?"

_He's even talking different. I want my brother back._ "Nothing really. What about you?" Sarah-Beth replied.

"Nothing. Just hanging out with some guys. Sarah-Beth, this is Jacob Wheatley and Jamison Humphrey. Guys this is one of my little sisters, Sarah-Beth Justice."

"Hi," Sarah-Beth blushed at the guys. Jacob was about 6 feet tall, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt, and black gym shorts with flip flops. Jamison was 5 foot 7, black hair, brown eyes, wearing a red Abercrombie shirt and jeans with red Converse sneakers. _Jamison is really cute._

"Hey, Sarah-Beth," Jamison said flashing a pearly white smile. "Wanna hang out tonight? There's going to be a party over at Gwendolyn Hall. It would be awesome if you could come."

Sarah-Beth glanced in her brother's direction. He looked at her and grinned. He knew that she needed some down time and relaxation. "Sure. I'd love to. What time?"

"I'll pick you up in front of Bradwell Hall say around 9?"

"Sounds great."

**A/N: Sorry it's so short. The next one will be longer I promise. Please read and review and more will come faster :)**


	4. Just The Way You Are

**A/N: Thanks to rynni is happy and Glyndewar for reviewing. Sorry that it's also been three months since the last chapter. This semester was a long, hard one. Thanks for your patience.**

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are  
And when you smile,  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
Cause girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

-Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

**Just the Way You Are**

"Does this look okay?" Sarah-Beth asked her younger sister Lindy Shae about her outfit. Sarah-Beth was getting nervous about her date with Jamison. She looked down at her purple Ralph Lauren dress. She thought she looked great, but was still nervous about what Jamison was going to think.

"You look smoking hot. Why are you nervous anyways? I think Jamison is really into you." Lindy Shae walked over to where Sarah-Beth was looking at herself in the mirror. "You have nothing to worry about."

"The reason I'm nervous is because Jamison is nothing like the guys back home." Her sister wouldn't know about guys really. She hadn't ever had a real boyfriend.

"Whatever you say, sis." If he doesn't fall for you as soon as he lays eyes on you, he's not a real guy." Lindy Shae sighed, wishing she could finally get a boy to take notice in her.

Sarah-Beth glanced over at her alarm clock. It was almost nine. He would be outside any minute. "Wish me luck, sis. I'll be back soon," Sarah-Beth laughed as she walked out the door. She headed quietly down the stairs so the house mother wouldn't hear her. She walked out of Bradwell with pride welling inside. _I actually sneaked out._ She looked up the path and saw Jamison walking her was. She whisper screamed, "Hey Jamison. You look awesome." He was wearing khaki slacks and a black and white striped button down long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"You look amazing, too." Jamison was looking her up and down. "Come on. Let's go to this party. I got some people I want you to meet."

They walked down to the woods where the party was already well under way. She waved at her brother. "Do you want something to drink?" Jamison asked her.

"Yea. Sure." Sarah-Beth looked around and saw her brother drag some other guys over to where she was standing along with Jacob, who she met earlier.

"Hey, Sarah-Beth. I want you to meet Josh Hollis, Gage Coolidge, Sawyer Hathaway, and Graham Hathaway." Jeremy glanced at his sister.

"Hi." She got flustered after that because some of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen walked into the clearing. "Ummmm…..Not to sound like a loser, but who are they?"

The guys glanced at each other and laughed. "Oh. Those are just the Billings Girls."

**A/N: Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. I know it's not much, but I'm sure I'll get bored tomorrow, so another one will be up soon. Hopefully. And Merry Christmas Everyone :)**


	5. Get This Party Started

**A/N: Thanks to Glyndewar for reviewing. I do not in anyway own the canon characters. Although I wish I were that clever to come up with those characters.**

**Get This Party Started**

_Get this party started on a Saturday night  
Everybody's waiting for me to arrive  
Sending out the message to all of my friends  
We'll be looking flashy in my Mercedes Benz  
I got lots of style, check my gold diamond rings  
I can go for miles if you know what I mean._

-Get This Party Started by P!nk

**Get This Party Started**

_Who are these Billings Girls_, Sarah-Beth wondered as she stood with her brother and his friends, Josh, Gage, Sawyer, and Graham. _I can't believe my brother is in the popular crowd already. Why the hell am I not?_ Sarah-Beth was the most popular girl at their old school in Alabama. The Billings Girls were walking toward Sarah-Beth and the boys she was standing with. _Oh my God, why are they coming over here now…_ That's when Jamison showed back up with her drink. "Hey, I see you met the guys."

"Yea, they seem pretty cool." She was getting nervous, not about Jamison, but about the girls throttling towards them. They looked so composed and cool. They were wearing the next season's trends already. _Wow I do not even come close to competing with these girls. Goodbye, Jamison. I'm about to lose you to one of these girls. I can feel it._

Just as Sarah-Beth got done thinking that, she heard one of the girls speak. "Hey Josh. I missed you at lunch today." She looked like one of the ringleaders. She had a small town girl air about her though. _Hmmm…_ Sarah-Beth thought, _I think I might like this girl._ The other three girls with her seemed like the total rich snob type. _I don't know what to think of these other girls._ The girl that first spoke looked over at Jeremy. "So who's your friend, Jeremy."

Jeremy smiled back at the girl. "Reed Brennan, meet one of my younger sisters, Sarah-Beth Justice."

"Hi, Reed. It's nice to meet you." Sarah-Beth said, trying to act like she didn't have the billion butterflies in her stomach.

"Hi. This is Noelle Lange, Constance Talbot, and Ivy Slade. How do you like Easton so far?" _This girl seems a girl I could be friends with._

"So far, so great." _Noelle and Ivy seem to not like each other too well. I wonder what's up with that._

"Great." Reed glanced at Jamison and Sarah-Beth. "Sarah-Beth, why don't you come and hang out with us for a little while?"

Sarah-Beth glanced back at her brother and his friends, unsure what to say, until her brother and Jamison nodded at her to go ahead and go. "Sure, sounds like fun." Sarah-Beth followed the girls to some logs set up like benches near the fire. The Billings Girls set down. Sarah-Beth set down next to Reed.

"So, it seems like you like Jamison, huh?" Noelle leaned over and asked Sarah-Beth.

"Is it that obvious?" Sarah-Beth blushed. She couldn't believe she let herself open up like a book for everyone to read.

"Yea, it is." Constance and Ivy agreed.

"Well, yea. I've liked him since Jeremy introduced us yesterday." Sarah-Beth couldn't believe she was confiding in girls she barely knew. This was not like her.

Later that night Jamison walked Sarah-Beth back to Bradwell. "I had a lot of fun tonight, although Reed did steal you away for too long."

"I had a great time too." Sarah-Beth blushed. _I wonder if he's going to kiss me!_

Jamison leaned in closer to Sarah-Beth. "Wanna have breakfast together?"

"That would be wonderful." Sarah-Beth blushed an even deeper red.

Jamison leaned further in and kissed Sarah-Beth passionately on the lips. "See you at eight!"

**A/N: Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. Reviews with comments and suggestions for future chapters are appreciated. Just in case I do not get an update up before New Years, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you so much for reading this story thus far. Enjoy. R/R.**


	6. Wherever I Go

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Thanks Glyndewar reviewing. Enjoy :)**

**Wherever I Go**

_So excited I can barely even catch my breath_

_We have each other to lean on for the road ahead_

_This happy ending is the start of all our dreams_

_And I know you heart is with me_

-Wherever I Go by Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana

**Wherever I Go**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ Sarah-Beth reached over and killed her alarm clock. _Why did I let Lindy Shae keep me up for details last night?_ It was five a.m. Sarah-Beth had exactly three hours to get ready to see Jamison this morning for breakfast. She grabbed her shower caddy and padded down the hallway to the bathroom. After a nice, hot shower, Sarah-Beth went back to her room. Going through her closet quietly so she wouldn't wake her sleeping sister, she decided to wear a cashmere short-sleeved pink sweater, with her dark blue jeans and some pink flip flops. After doing her hair, make-up, and getting dressed, it was seven a.m., and her sister, who was grouchy from their late night chat, was up running around throwing on an Auburn University t-shirt and some jeans. Lindy Shae never cared about her looks or what other people thought of her, which is what made her head cheerleader at their old school. Waving goodbye to her sister, who was still fighting with her hair, Sarah-Beth ran down the hall, skipped down the stairs, and went out the door.

Just as she started walking through the quad area, she ran literally into Reed, Constance, and Ivy. "Hey ya'll."

"Hey. We were actually looking for you. Would you like to sit at our table from now on during mealtimes?" Reed glanced between the girls as she asked Sarah-Beth the question.

"Sure, but…I'm suppose to eat with Jamison this morning." Sarah-Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Don't worry about it. He normally sits at our table too. Come on." Reed reached out and grabbed Sarah-Beth by the wrist and led the group to the cafeteria.

After going through the line with the girls, they went back and sat at their table. Jamison came in and started looking for Reed. When he spotted her, a grinned exploded across his face. He went through the line, and came and sat down by her. "Wow good guess on the table we were going to sit at."

"Oh, I had some help." Sarah-Beth glanced over at where the Billings Girls were sitting a few seats down.

"Reed, she helped you, didn't she?" Jamison looked a little nervous.

"Yea, she did. Why?"

"Nothing. So how did you sleep last night?"

"Well if my sister would have shut up I would have slept great." Sarah-Beth laughed.

"She's a typical little sister."

They continued to chit chat amongst themselves. Sarah-Beth couldn't shake the feeling that something either was or is going on between Jamison and Reed.

Later on in Chapel, Sarah-Beth noticed Reed looking at Jamison with a weird look in her eyes. _Great, just what I need, is a boyfriend like the last one._

**A/N:Sorry it's so short..I'm having writer's block. So please review and give me ideas if you have any for future chapters.**


	7. Girlfriend

**A/N: Sorry it has been WAY too long since this story has been updated..I got busy with school and work and my Grey's Anatomy story. Sorry ya'll.. but enjoy this chapter and R/R. Hopefully I won't get writer's block this time :). **

"**Girlfriend"**

"_**Hey hey, you you, I don't like your girlfriend**_

_**No way, no way, I think you need a new one**_

_**Hey hey, you you, I could be your girlfriend."**_

_**Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend"**_

"**Girlfriend"**

It had been a few weeks since Sarah-Beth and Jamison's date at the bonfire. She had been asking around and had discovered that Reed and Jamison have had a history and that they were still dating when Jeremy introduced them. _No wonder Reed wanted me to sit at the table with them. She wants to keep an eye on me._

"I wouldn't worry with it, sis," Lindy Shae said as she flipped open her trigonometry book. "I would forget him and kick Jeremy's butt for introducing you."

"I guess you're right, but he made me feel so good. Why do I always attract guys that already have girlfriends?" Sarah-Beth cried into her pillow.

Lindy Shae got up and crossed the room to sit on her sister's bed. "Don't say that. You can and have attracted guys that are unattached. You are my amazing big sister and will find a great guy."

Sarah-Beth looked up and gave her little sister a hug. "You are way to wise for your years little sis."

Later on that day Sarah-Beth walked with her sister to the dining hall for dinner. She had stopped sitting at the Billings table in order to avoid Jamison and Reed and to sit with her sister and her friends.

Just as they crossed the quad, Sarah-Beth spotted Jamison and Jeremy by the doors like they were waiting on them. "Just ignore them; I'll talk to Jeremy about this later." Lindy Shae shielded her sister as they got past them and into the dining hall.

Sarah-Beth looked behind her to see Jamison attempting to follow them. _I do not need this right now. I don't want to make a scene._ The girls made their way through the line and got a salad, a penne pasta and some Dr. Pepper a piece. They went and joined some of Lindy Shae's friends and started eating. Jamison and Reed were both watching Sarah-Beth from across the room.

Just as she thought she could avoid a scene, she looked up to find Jamison's gorgeous brown eyes looking into hers. "So I see you found out about Reed and I."

Sarah-Beth could feel the envious stares of her sister's friends. "Yea. I did. And I don't appreciate you lying to me."

"When I saw you, I realized I wanted to be with you, not Reed. I told Reed it was all my fault and not yours. She should treat you better."

Jamison realized that Sarah-Beth wasn't going to answer him. "Please forgive me Sarah-Beth." He left it at that as he walked back to the Billings/Ketlar table.

That night Sarah-Beth lay in her bed, listening to her sister's breathing from across the room. _What should I do about this situation? Why does Jeremy always do this to me?_ Sarah-Beth rolled over and groaned. The clock only said 1:15 a. m. It was going to be a very long and restless night.

The next morning, Sarah-Beth woke suddenly to the sounds of sirens and sat straight up in bed. Lindy Shae was gaping out the window.

"What's wrong?" Sarah-Beth padded quickly over to the window.

"They just took someone out of Ketlar. I don't know what's going on either."

The girls rushed to get dressed and ran as fast as they could down the stairs.

When they got outside, they heard the gossip. "I overheard him getting into a hushed fight with the new girl yesterday." "I heard he dumped the President of Billings for some lowly sophomore newbie."

Lindy Shae's friends ran up to her and confirmed what they were hearing. "Your brother found Jamison dead this morning."

Sarah-Beth collapsed on the ground crying. _What the hell is going on here?_

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger. How do you think Jamison died? Do you think it's a repeat of the Ariana/Sabine era just a guy this time?.. Time will tell. R/R. :)**


	8. Author's Note On Hiatus

**Author's Note**

**Just wanted to let all of you know that now that I'm in student teaching and working two jobs that my updates will be very scarce until graduation on December 16! Thank you for supporting me with my story so far. Just did not want ya'll to think that my story would be unfinished. It will be finished but only when I do not have a load of lesson plans or projects to do. Hope everyone had a wonderful August! Have a great rest of your 2011! See you in December :)**

**~Meg Nik~**


	9. Here We Go Again

**A/N: So I found some time to update this story. So here it is. Enjoy and R/R. Thanks to my editor Morgan for helping a lot over the past two days to update all of my in progress stories. Thanks to Reagan17 and Glyndewar for reviewing. Keep them coming.**

_So how did you get here under my skin?_

_I swore that I'd never let you back in_

_Should've known better than trying to let you go_

'_Cause here we go go go again_

_Hard as I try I know I can't quit_

_Something about you is so addictive_

_We're falling together; you'd think that by now I'd know_

'_Cause here we go go go again_

"Here We Go Again" by Demi Lovato

**Here We Go Again**

Detective Hauer drove up to the Easton campus. _I cannot believe we have another murder. First, Thomas Pearson, then Cheyenne Martin, and now Jamison Humphrey. _ He had done his share of murder investigations on this campus and it was getting really old.

His first stop was Sarah-Beth Justice's room. He had heard there was some conflict between her, Reed, and Jamison. Headmaster Hathaway led him up to her room in Bradwell. He approached the door and was about to knock, when a girl opened the door, puzzled, caught off guard by the visit.

"Hi," she said, startled. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Sarah-Beth Justice?" Detective Hauer said, sternly, looking into the room behind the girl to see a girl crying into her pillow.

"No, sir. I am her sister, Lindy Shae." Lindy Shae explained, stepping back, allowing the two men to enter the room.

"Hi Sarah-Beth. I'm Detective Hauer. I need to ask you a few questions." He took a seat on her desk chair and, once again, glanced over at the crying girl.

Sarah-Beth turned over to face the man, knowing she looked and felt horrible. "Okay," she said with a hoarse voice.

"Can you tell me where you were the night Jamison Humphrey died?"

"I was here asleep and my sister was over there." Sarah-Beth began to have a feeling that he was accusing her of Jamison's death.

"Can you attest to that, Lindy Shae?"

"Yes, sir. I woke up every couple of hours to check on her."

"Why would you need to check on her?"

Sarah-Beth didn't allow Lindy Shae to answer. "Jamison lied to me. I found out through others that he was still dating Reed Brennan when he asked me out, so I decided to ignore him for a few days, but he decided to try apologizing for his behavior."

"Thank you for your time, ladies." Detective Hauer stood and left the room with Headmaster Hathaway.

Sarah-Beth collapsed back onto her bed. Lindy Shae sat beside her sister.

"You don't think that he thinks that you did it, do you?" Lindy Shae said, anxiety lacing her voice.

"I hope not, I don't think I can handle that. Why did Mom have to send us here?"

Later that day, Jeremy came and paid a visit to his sisters. He was just as freaked as they were. Detective Hauer thought he was a suspect as well.

"How are you holding up?" Jeremy asked Sarah-Beth, hugging his sister tight.

"Okay, I guess. It doesn't seem real yet." Sarah-Beth hugged her brother back. She loved that his strong arms were around her. This was the brother she had grown to love.

They sat together, talking about old times for a while. Just when Jeremy was about to leave his sisters' dorm, Lindy Shae answered a surprise knock at the door. Standing behind the door were Detective Hauer, Headmaster Hathaway, and two other cops. "Jeremy and Sarah-Beth Justice, you are under arrest for the murder of Jamison Humphrey. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law. Please stand up and put your hands where I can see them."

The two teens did as they were told. Lindy Shae started crying in the corner, knowing that her siblings were innocent. Sarah-Beth and Jeremy were led out of Bradwell as the curious crowd grew outside. On the edge of the onlookers, Sarah-Beth saw the Billings Girls trying to hide their laughter as Sarah-Beth was taken away like a repeat offender.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it seems short to me. But I hope that you review and tell me what you think. I hope to update again by October, but as ya'll know from the A/N that it may be a while due to internship and classes. BTW what did you all think about Vengeance. I'm sad that the Private series is over. It got me through many things in my life.**


	10. Grace

**A/N: Thanks to Reagan17 for reviewing: I agree it is very sad that the series is over. I hope that she does a spin-off like she did with Ariana. Figured I would give you one more chapter over the holiday weekend to give ya'll one more thing to read before I truly go on hiatus. Please R/R. Enjoy :)**

"_Nothing comes easily  
When do I regain?  
Nothing can bring me peace  
I've lost everything  
I just wanna feel your embrace"_

Kate Havnevik "Grace"

**Grace**

A week passed since Jeremy and Sarah-Beth were taken into custody. Their parents flew in with the best defense lawyer in Alabama to clear their eldest children of this serious accusation. Mr. Hurst entered the police station, demanding to see his new clients.

Detective Hauer led Mr. Hurst back to the interrogation room, where Jeremy and Sarah-Beth sat waiting to see what may become of them.

"Hi, Sarah-Beth and Jeremy. I'm Mr. Hurst, your attorney. I just want to ask you some questions to get a better understanding of this case."

Both teens nodded at their newly found angel of mercy.

"Okay, Jeremy. I'm going to start with you. How did you meet Jamison when you all moved up here?"

"He was my roommate. We hit it off on the first day along with Jacob Wheatley."

"Okay. Where do you come into this situation, Sarah-Beth?"

Sarah-Beth, glancing over at her brother, answered, "Jeremy introduced us the day after we arrived here, and Jamison asked me out to a party in the woods that night. And I went."

Sarah-Beth paused to collect herself. "That's where I met Reed and the other Billings Girls. They were like 'you really like him, don't you?' I admitted that I did. I was actually falling for him. My intuition told me that something was going on between Reed and Jamison, so I asked around. Turns out he broke up with her the day that he met me."

Mr. Hurst, looking over at Jeremy, asked, "Did you know he was with Reed?"

"No, sir. I did not. He never told me much about his love life except that he liked my sister."

"I tried to ignore him for a few days, but he came up to me the day he died and apologized for putting me in this mess. I told him that I needed some time and he gave it to me. Then, a few days later, I heard Jeremy found him dead." Sarah-Beth added.

"Mmmm,hmmm," Mr. Hurst mumbled, contemplating where they needed to go from here. "Well, Miss Justice, I see no reason why your alibi would be unreliable. Your dorm cameras did not show you leaving your dorm that night. However, Mr. Justice, you have no stable alibi. Was there any person that could explain your whereabouts that night?"

"Actually, I was playing video games in Jacob's room that night and into the early morning hours. Jamison was there until about midnight, but he said he was going back to his room. He seemed to be feeling down, but wouldn't discuss it with me nor Jacob."

"Why did you not tell the police this little tidbit of information?"

"They didn't ask."

Detective Hauer stepped back into the room. "Sarah-Beth, you have been cleared of all charges. You are free to go with your parents. Jeremy, we are going to check out your alibi, and then we'll go from there. Unfortunately, you can only be released on a $50,000 bail."

Mr. Hurst looked over to Detective Hauer. "That can be arranged, Detective." Sarah-Beth, shooting a look of fear at Jeremy, followed Mr. Hurst out to meet her anxiously waiting parents.

"Sarah-Beth, are you okay honey? When I meant make friends, I didn't mean like this." Jackson ran to his daughter, pulling her up into a huge bearhug.

"I'm fine, Dad. I'm just worried about Jeremy. I know he couldn't have done this." Sarah-Beth said, turning to face her mom.

"Sarah-Beth," her mother said angrily to her. "Why are you already getting arrested up here? You never got into trouble back home. You ruined my party for last weekend because of all of this."

"Now Sadie. The kids did not even want to come up here. This is probably their way of saying 'Hello, Mom. We want to come home now.'" Jackson said, glancing in his wife's direction while holding Sarah-Beth's shoulders protectively.

Mr. Hurst, choosing the perfect moment to walk into the conversation, said, "They will release Jeremy on $50,000 bond today." Mr. Hurst led her feuding parents to the desk to handle Jeremy's situation.

_I have got to find out who did this. I just know Jeremy is innocent._ Sarah-Beth thought to herself, rubbing the chills away from her arms.

**A/N: The mystery continues. Who do you think did it? Review and let me know. It could be anyone. :) Happy Labor Day! See you in October or December :)**


	11. Rumour Has It

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long since this story has been updated…life gets in the way sometimes. …But here we go… the mystery continues :). Thanks to Glyndewar and Reagan17 for reviewing :).**

"**Rumour Has It"**

_All of these words whispered in my ear_

_Tell a story that I cannot bear to hear_

_Just 'cause I said it, it don't mean that I meant it_

_People say crazy things_

_Just 'cause I said it, don't mean that I meant it_

_Just 'cause you heard it_

"Rumour Has It" by Adele

"**Rumour Has It"**

It had been a month since Jeremy had found Jamison dead in their dorm room. Although Sarah-Beth had been cleared of any charges related to Jamison's death, Jeremy was still a suspect. After their parents had paid Jeremy's bail, they took their children back to the Easton campus. After a lot of arguing with Jackson, Sadie had gone back to Alabama, telling Jackson to deal with his children. Jackson chose to stay in a local bed and breakfast to stay close in case something else happened.

The children had started back doing all of their classes. In fact, Sarah-Beth and Lindy Shae were acing all of their classes. Jeremy, however, was struggling. Partly because of the murder of Jamison.

"Jeremy, I can help you with your homework if you need me to. You cannot fail." Sarah-Beth was worried about her brother. They were sitting in the cafeteria during breakfast one cold Saturday morning in November.

Lindy Shae glanced up from her blueberry pancakes. "Jeremy, she's right. You cannot fail. Maybe you need to go stay with dad in town a few days to get away from all the drama around here."

Since Jamison's death, Jacob had been distanced from Jeremy along with the rest of the boys in Ketlar Hall. He had no true friends up here, and his sisters could tell he missed Alabama where he was the star football player at their old school and had all the friends a girl could ask for.

Jeremy looked at his sisters and sighed. "I do need some R/R, but cannot go anywhere with these kinds of grades. I think I'm spending the rest of today in the library I'm afraid." Jeremy finished his bowl of Captain Crunch and said goodbye to his sisters. "Off to the library I go."

Sarah-Beth looked up from her grape jelly toast and strawberries. "I'm worried about him, Lindy Shae."

"I am, too." Lindy Shae said as she took her last bite of pancake.

"Lookie here, we have the murderer's sisters actually eating breakfast in here." Noelle Lange walked by with Reed Brennan.

"Noelle, he's just a suspect. Nothing more. For all we know it could have been anyone in that dorm. I just can't believe it's happening again. First Thomas and now Jamison."

After the girls had walked off, Sarah-Beth looked at Lindy Shae. "This has happened before. Come on, we have got to get to a computer and do some research."

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long since the last chapter. I have had a lot going on, but I have finally graduated college, so unless I'm at O'Charley's working or looking for a teaching job, I will find more time to write. Please R/R. I hope I still have some readers out there!**


	12. Crawling in the Dark

**A/N: Thanks to Glyndewar for reviewing. R/R! and this story will be coming to an end pretty soon maybe a chapter or two after this one!**

"**Crawling in the Dark"**

_I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer_

_Is there something more than what i've been handed?_

_I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer_

_Help me carry on_

-Hoobastank "Crawling in the Dark"

"**Crawling in the Dark"**

Sarah-Beth ran to the library, dragging Lindy Shae behind her. "We have got to find out the specifics of this Thomas dude's murder. Maybe that will help us clear Jeremy's name."

"I know that, but must you go so fast? You're hurting my arm." Lindy Shae whined as they climbed the steps to the library.

As they entered the library, they spotted Jeremy across the room at the computers looking like he was ready to just give up on his assignments.

"Hey, bro. Take a break from studying. We want you to help us research something." Sarah-Beth hugged her brother from behind.

"Okay. What is it about?"

"Turns out this has happened before. Some guy named Thomas. Reed said something about it at breakfast after you left." Lindy Shae spoke up.

"Okay. We can use this computer." The girls pulled chairs up on both sides of their brother.

After hours of intensive research, the siblings discovered that last year a boy named Thomas Pearson was murdered by one of the Billings girls. It took them a while to discover that it was Ariana Osgood that did it when she tried to murder Reed on the roof of Billings.

"Wow. This school has a crazy past." Jeremy said, looking at his sisters. "Okay now that I have helped you I have got to get back to studying. I will see ya'll later okay?"

"Okay." The girls said in unison.

After Jeremy walked off, the girls started to make a list of possible suspects:

Reed Brennan: Ex-Girlfriend

Jacob Wheatley: Best Friend

Noelle Lange: Reed's sidekick

Constance Talbot: Reed's sidekick

Ivy Slade: Reed's sidekick

Josh Hollis: lives in Ketlar

Gage Coolidge: lives in Ketlar

Sawyer Hathaway: lives in Ketlar

Graham Hathaway: lives in Ketlar

Looking over their list, the girls had no clue how they were going to narrow down the suspects. They had no leads either. This made their brains run and run, trying to come up with something.

"Maybe we could ask around. You take the Billings Girls and I take the boys?" Lindy Shae suggested.

Each girl took off for the different buildings on campus to start their interrogations. They were to meet back in their room at curfew and discuss their findings.

As Sarah-Beth approached the Billings house, she saw Reed looking out the window down at her. Walking to the door, she knocked only to find the door open with Reed already standing there. "Hey. What do you need?"

"I wanted to ask ya'll a few questions about the night Jamison died. I know my brother didn't do it. As she interrogated each girl, she came to realize none of them had anything to do with it. After she finished, she thanked each of them and headed back to Bradwell to wait on her sister. Curfew came and went. She started texting her sister but had no answer. Just when she was about to call Jeremy, she heard sirens. _Not again…especially with Lindy Shae not with me!_

Sarah-Beth got up and looked out the window. There were cop cars everywhere with a S.W.A.T. team surrounding Ketlar. Sarah-Beth grabbed her jacket and ran down the stairs, calling her dad's phone the entire time.

_I cannot lose my sister or my brother. She must have found out who it was and they didn't like it. It should be me and not her…_

**A/N: I love leaving ya'll on a cliffhanger. Please R/R. The next chapter is the last for this story and will hopefully be up in a day or two.**


	13. Safe and Sound

**A/N: Thanks to Glyndewar for reviewing :) this is the final installment of The Newbies at Easton. Enjoy :)**

"**Safe and Sound"**

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

"**Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift**

**Safe and Sound**

Lindy Shae had just finished interrogating all the boys except Jacob Wheatley. As she snuck down the hall, she glanced down at her watch to see she only had about thirty minutes until curfew. _I have to make this a quick interrogation. I wonder how things are going for Sarah-Beth._ Lindy Shae approached Jacob's single bed dorm room. She heard an altercation going on the other side of the door. She put her ear to the door and heard her brother's familiar voice and Jacob's arguing about something. _Sounds like it has something to do with Jamison._ Lindy Shae was about to knock when she heard a thump from inside the room. Worried for Jeremy's safety, Lindy Shae grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open to find the boys on the ground with Jeremy pinned to the floor. Jacob had a gun to Jeremy's head.

Jacob looked up to see who was disturbing his altercation. When he realized that it was Lindy Shae in the doorway, he jumped up, pulled her in the room, and shut the door, barricading it with his dresser. "You made a wrong decision coming here tonight, Lindy Shae. I guess I will just have to kill both of you."

"Let my sister go. She doesn't deserve any of this. If you're going to kill anyone, let it be me. I'm the one who figured out you killed Jamison, not her. Please." Jeremy looked at Jacob pleading with his eyes.

Jacob started to pace the floor. Not paying attention to her, Lindy Shae took this chance to dial 911 and hid her phone under her leg so Jacob couldn't see it.

"Why should I let her go now? She knows now, too. I would love to see who would try to stop me. If I kill both of you, there will be no one to tell on me too."

"How do you think it's going to look if the authorities find two dead bodies in your room, shot to death, huh? Then they will know you killed us and will eventually realize you killed Jamison too," Lindy Shae said, looking bravely over at her brother.

Sirens started sounding from outside, Jacob walked over to the window. "Damn it. Why are the cops here?"

Lindy Shae uses this distraction to hang up her phone. _Thank you God for cell phones!_

"Jacob Wheatley, come out with your hands up and weapons down and no one will get hurt." The police were using the intercom on one of the police cars.

"Hell, no." Jacob turned around and looked at the two Justice siblings. "I'm not going down without a fight. You two are going down with me. If you and your sisters hadn't of shown up, I wouldn't have had to kill Jamison. He hurt Reed and I don't like people hurting my friends. And I really liked Sarah-Beth and he made a move before I could. That really pissed me off."

A few hours pass, with Jacob pacing deciding what to do next. After several minutes of contemplating, Jacob goes over to Lindy Shae. He reaches down and grabs her. Looking back at Jeremy as he walks his youngest sister to the door, he fires a shot in that general direction, uncertain if he hit Jeremy or not.

Hearing the gunshot from outside, the police start forming teams to go into the now evacuated dorm to finally end this standoff.

Jacob starts walking Lindy Shae down the stairs, which was hard for her since she was pinned to the front of his body. He was going to use her as a human shield. He had to get out of this situation he had gotten himself into. As he headed down the final stairs to the front door of Ketlar, he saw the most chaotic scene ever at Easton Academy.

As they walk out of the dorm, Lindy Shae sees her sister and father at the edge of the crowd. She finally loses control of her emotions and starts bawling. "Please just let me go, Jacob. It doesn't have to end like this."

Jacob ignores her comment and instead calls out to police. "Let me go and Lindy Shae will not get hurt. If not, she's a goner."

Before Jacob can react, three cops sneak up from the side of the building and tackle him, sending Lindy Shae tumbling across the ground. Lindy Shae got up and ran to her dad, hugging him tightly as she cried into his chest. "Jeremy's still in there. I don't know if he's hurt or not."

The police detain Jacob in a police car and take him away, as paramedics and the S.W.A.T. team head into Ketlar. It seems like the Justice family have to wait hours to find out if Jeremy's okay. Finally, the paramedics bring Jeremy out on a stretcher. The police let the three family members by to check on him.

Jeremy looked over at his family as they approached the gurney. "Thank you, Lindy Shae for coming to my rescue. If you hadn't knocked when you did, I probably would be dead now."

When Jacob had fired the gun, it had grazed Jeremy's stomach and was right on the inside of his skin. The paramedics assured his dad that everything was going to be okay.

Jackson Justice looked at his three beautiful children. "Kids, everything is going to be okay. I am going to take you home where you are safe and sound! Who cares what your mother says." The kids grinned up at their dad and the girls gave their brother big kisses. They were going home, where they belonged.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read this story and stuck by me since it took me forever to finish! I really appreciated all the reviews and everyone who read it :)**


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